Saint Vigilius church, Roman Catholic church in Pinzolo, Italy
Saint Vigilius church is a Roman Catholic building in Pinzolo, built with a rectangular plan and three aisles separated by granite columns with pointed arches. The walls and structure are made largely of stone from the nearby Val Genova valley, with some marble details added throughout.
The church was founded in 1362 and then significantly expanded in 1515, when local granite became available for the construction work. The frescoes on the facade were added in 1539, making the building a layered record of different moments in the life of the community.
The frescoes on the facade show the Dance of Death, a theme that was common in medieval Europe and reminded people that death comes for everyone regardless of rank. Visitors can still read the painted figures clearly and sense how this message was meant to be seen by ordinary people passing through the cemetery.
The church sits inside the Pinzolo cemetery and is easy to reach on foot from the town center. It is worth spending time outside as well as inside, since the frescoes on the exterior walls are a key part of the visit.
In most European versions of the Dance of Death, the dead and the living speak to each other, but in Simone Baschenis's fresco here the dead speak alone, with no reply from the living. This choice sets this cycle apart from nearly every other example of the theme found across the continent.
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